26th  Congress, 
\si  Session. 


[  SENATE.  ] 


[  428  ] 


IIEPORT 

FROM 

THE  SECRETARY  OF  WAR, 

In  compliance  with  a  resolution  of  the  Senate  relative  to  the  application 
of  a  mineral  solution  to  the  preservation  of  timber^  called  "  Kyani- 


April  9,  1840. 

Ordered  to  be  printed. 
April  10,  1840. 

Referred  to  tlie  Committee  on  Naval  Affairs. 

April  21,  1840. 

Committee  discliarged,  and  200  additional  copies  ordered  to  be  printed. 


War  Department,  April  9,  1840. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  submit  the  reports  of  the  chiefs  of  the  Engi- 
neer and  Topocrrapliical  Bureaus,  furnishing  the  information  called  for  by 
a  resolution  of  the  Senate,  dated  the  20th  ultimo,  relative  to  the  application 
of  a  mineral  solution  to  the  preservation  of  timber,  called  "Kyanizing." 
Verv  respectfully,  your  most  obedient  servant, 

J.  R.  POINSETT. 

Hon.  R.  M.  Johnson, 

President  of  tJte  Senate. 


Bureau  of  Topographical  Engineers, 

Washington^  April  3,  1840. 

Sir  :  In  reference  to  the  resolution  of  the  Senate  of  the  20th  instant,  I 
have  the  honor  to  submit  the  following  report : 

Kyanizing  is  the  name  for  a  process  of  saturating  timber  with  a  solution 
of  corrosive  sublimate.  The  name  is  derived  from  the  inventor  (J.  H. 
Kyan,  Esq.,  of  Enorland),  who,  having  ascertained,  by  a  great  variety  of 
experimentis,  ''that  albumen  was  the  primary  cause  of  the  putrefaction  and 
isiibseqnpn*^3"  of  the  decomposition  of  vegetable  matter,"  and  aware  of  the 
affinity  between  albumen  and  corrosive  sublimate,  he  concluded  that,  by  sat- 
urating timber  with  the  corrosive  sublimate,  its  combination  with  the  albu- 
men v/ould  prevent  its  fermentation  and  decomposition,  and  consequently 
their  destructive  effects  upon  the  timber.  The  object  of  the  process  is, 
therefore,  to  combine  a  well-established  anti-destructive  material  with  that 
which  is  considered  the  principal  cause  of  the  destruction  of  timber,  and 
Blair  &  Rives,  printers. 


[  428  ] 


2 


thus  to  modify  the  character  of  the  latter  by  the  formation  of  a  new  and 
comparatively  indestructible  compound. 

Mr.  Kyan  justly  deserves  the  credit  of  the  invention  in  its  useful  appli- 
cation, and  which,  it  would  seem,  has  generally  been  conceded  to  him  by 
the  name  of  the  process,  although  the  use  of  corrosive  sublimate,  as  a  pre- 
ventive of  dry-roc,  was  suggested  in  the  form  of  a  wash  by  Sir  Humphrey 
Davy ;  and  Chapman,  "  on  the  preservation  of  timber,''  as  stated  in 
Thompson's  Chemistry,  says,  "  corrosive  sublimate  may  be  advantageously 
used  in  the  proportion  of  one  ounce  to  one  gallon  of  water,  to  be  applied 
hot." 

The  mode  of  operation  is,  to  construct  a  trough,  or  tank,  in  which  the 
timber  intended  to  be  prepared  is  placed,  and  secured  in  position,  when  the 
trough,  or  tank,  is  sufficiently  filled  with  the  solution  to  cover  the  timber 
thorouglily. 

The  cost  of  preparing  the  timber  depends  upon  the  following  elements  ; 
first,  the  construction  ot  the  tank  ;  2d,  the  cost  of  the  corrosive  sublimate ; 
^^d,  the  proportion  of  the  mixture  and  quantity  absorbed  ;  and  4th,  the 
labor  of  attending  the  process. 

The  cost  of  the  tank  would  be  to  be  divided  upon  the  whole  quantity  of 
timber  prepared,  and  would,  of  course,  lessen  the  expense  of  preparing  the 
timber  in  proportion  to  the  quantity.  The  cost  of  the  corrosive  sublimate 
is  about  per  pound  ;  the  proportion  to  water  is  variously  stated  at  one 
pound  to  five  gallons  of  water,  one  pound  to  seven  gallons,  and  one  pound 
to  fifteen  gallons  :  this  last  is  considered  as  the  weakest  admissible  solution. 
The  quantity  absorbed  must  depend  upon  the  kind  of  timber.  The  more 
albuminous  matter  it  contains,  the  more  of  the  solution  will  have  to  be  ab- 
sorbed to  produce  the  desired  change  of  that  matter.  The  labor  in  attend- 
ing upon  the  process  is  not  great.  In  an  experiment  made  in  the  navy  yard 
at  Boston,  in  1838,  the  labor  was  estimated  at  about  one-ninth  of  the  whole 
expense  ;  the  proportions  of  the  mixture,  one  pound  of  corrosive  sublimate 
to  seven  gallons  of  water  ;  and  the  cost  of  preparing  the  limber,  exclusive 
of  the  cost  of  the  tanks,  at  about  twelve  cents  the  cubic  foot.  I  have  un- 
derstood that  some  interesting  experiments  were  made  by  Colonel  Totten, 
of  the  corps  of  engineers,  when  stationed  at  Fort  Adams,  which  will,  no 
doubt,  be  noticed  in  his  report  under  the  resolution. 

Kyan  says,  that  a  load  of  pine  timber  (fifty  cubic  feet)  will  cost,  to  pre- 
serve it,  twenty  shillings  sterling — about  ten  cents  per  cubic  foot ;  and  that 
this  quantity  would  require  about  one  pound  of  corrosive  sublimate.  In 
the  United  Service  Journal,  the  quantity  is  stated  at  from  one  to  one  and  a 
half  pounds  the  load.  In  an  article  in  the  Journal  of  the  Franklin  Insti- 
tute, from  the  Earl  of  Manvers,  the  proportion  of  one  pound  to  ten  gallons 
of  water  is  given. 

Mr.  G.  M.  Totten,  civil  engineer,  in  an  estimate  of  the  cost  (Army  and 
Navy  Chronicle,  for  1837,  page  341),  at  one  pound  to  five  gallons  of  water. 
or.  according  to  others,  at  one  pound  to  ten  gallons,  assumes,  that  a  cubic 
foot  of  oak  timber  will  absorb  three  pints  of  the  liquid ;  and  he  states  the 
price  of  the  corrosive  sublimate  at  eighty-six  cents  the  pound,  the  cost  of 
the  liquid,  at  six  and  a  haU  cents  per  cubic  foot,  that  of  tanks,  labor,  and 
liquid  ai  eight  cents  ;  but  he  does  not  appear  to  have  made  any  allowance 
for  labor  in  attending  to  the  process,  or  other  contingency.  * 

Corrosive  sublimate  is  soluble  in  water  at  the  rate  of  five  parts  by  weight, 
to  one  hundred  parts  by  weight,  of  water  at  60°  of  Fahrenheit,  or  efght 


3 


[  428  3 


ounces  per  gallon  ;  and  fifty  parts  in  one  hundred,  at  a  temperature  of  212^ 
of  Fahrenheit,  or  five  pounds  per  gallon.  From  which  it  will  be  observed, 
that  the  strength  of  the  mixture  depends  upon  the  temperature  of  the 
water  used,  and  no  doubt  also  upon  its  softness. 

I  have,  myself,  made  no  experiments  on  this  matter.  The  remarks 
which  occasioned  the  resolution  are  in  the  last  annual  report  from  this  of- 
fice, in  which  the  use  of  Kyanized  timber  is  recommended  for  the  harbor 
improvements  on  the  lakes,  and  with  the  object  of  giving  to  those  improve- 
ments a  character  of  greater  permanency  than  can  be  obtained  to  an  equal 
degree  in  any  other  way,  at  so  small  an  expense.  In  case  these  improve- 
ments should  be  continued,  the  preparing  of  the  timber  will  open  a  field 
for  the  most  interesting  experiments,  and  upon  a  large  scale. 

Of  the  main  point  involved,  namely,  that  Kyanizing  timber  really  in- 
creases its  durabihty,  there  is,  I  believe,  now  no  doubt.  Upon  this  single 
point,  therefore,  there  need  be  no  experiment.  It  is,  I  think,  sufficiently 
established,  as  may  be  ascertained,  in  addition  to  the  authorities  already 
referred  to,  from  Professor  Farrady's  lecture  of  1834,  a  pamphlet  by  Mer- 
cator,  of  the  same  year,  Doctor  Burbeck's  lecture,  a  report  from  a  committee 
of  the  board  of  admiralty  in  1835,  a  report,  in  1838,  from  a  commission  in 
Holland  of  experiments  made  in  the  dock  yards  of  that  kingdom.  All 
these  clearly  show  that  the  effects  of  Kyanizing  are,  the  prevention  of  dry 
rot ;  a  more  perfect  and  more  certain  seasoning  of  timber  ;  defence  against 
the  depredation  of  insects  ;  and  that  it  can  be  applied  to  all  kinds  of  tim- 
ber. These  are,  certainly,  correct  results,  if  the  authorities  named  are  de- 
serving of  confidence,  of  which  they  undoubtedly  are,  in  my  opinion  ;  and 
therefore  justify  me  in  resting  upon  the  single  fact,  that  the  process  of  Ky- 
anizmg  is  a  certain  mode  of  increasing  the  durabihty  of  timber. 

The  points  which  do  not  seem  to  be  sufficiently  determined,  and  upon 
which  it  would  be  extremely  desirable  to  make  a  series  of  experiments,  are  i 

1st,  The  proper  strength  of  the  solution  for  different  kinds  of  timber  ; 

2d.  The  time  required  for  it  to  penetrate  different  thicknesses  of  different 
kinds  of  timber ; 

3d.  The  quantity  absorbed  by  different  kinds  of  timber,  and  the  period 
of  cutting  best  adapted  to  receive  it. 

In  making  these  experiments,  many  interesting  facts  will  be  suggested  to 
a  carelul  observer,  adding  much  to  the  value  of  the  general  results,  proba- 
bly the  partial  mineralization  which  the  timber  undergoes  in  the  process, 
may  render  it  also  less  liable  to  combustion. 

In  the  report  which  occasioned  the  inquiry  of  the  Senate,  allusion  is 
made  to  a  process  of  mineralizing^  timber  by  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  cop- 
per, as  an  invention  of  Doctor  Edward  Earle,  of  Philadelphia.    I  submit 
certain. papers  on  the  subject  which  Doctor  Earle  has  left  with  me. 
Very  respectfully,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

J.  J.  ABERT, 
Colonel  Top.  Engineers. 

Hon.  J.  R.  Poinsett, 

Secretary  of  War. 


[  428  ] 


4 


PRESERVATION  OF  TIMBER. 

Hall  of  the  Franklin  Institute, 

Philadelphia^  December  12,  1839. 

The  committee  on  science  and  the  arts,  constituted  by  the  Franklin 
Institute  of  the  State  of  Pennsylvania  for  the  promotion  of  the  Mechanic 
arts,  to  whom  was  referred  for  examination  Dr.  Edward  Earle's  method 
of  preserving  timber,  report. 

[The  "  report"  being  long,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  it,  although  a 
necessary  part  of  the  whole,  being  irrelevant  to  the  main  purpose ;  an  ab- 
stract of  it  may  suffice  to  show  the  proceedings  of  the  committee,  and  the 
conclusions  to  which  their  investigations,  experiments,  and  reasonings,  have 
conducted  them  as  to  the  nature  and  qualities  of  the  means  employed,  and 
the  probable  advantages  and  value  of  the  process.  Composed  of  many 
of  the  most  distinguished  m.embers  of  the  Institute — such  as  President  A. 
D.  Bache,  Messrs.  Booth,  Peale,  Merrick,  Frazer,  and  others,  the  above 
committee  may  be  considered  as  constituting,  in  matters  of  science,  the 
highest  tribunal  in  our  country  ;  and  the  sanction  of  its  approbation  must 
go  far  to  establish  the  character  of  those  inventions  and  improvements  on 
which  it  is  conferred. 

Having  adverted  to  the  form  of  the  "  process" — the  materials  used  and 
the  mode  of  applying  them — together  v/itli  the  different  kinds  of  decay  to 
which  timber  is  liable,  and  which  they  agree  with  others  in  attributing  to 
the  gaseous,  albuminous,  and  glutinous  substances  inherent  in  it ;  they  give 
a  short  history  of  the  attempts  which  have  been  made,  in  different  countries, 
to  prevent  or  cure  this  costly  evil.  They  then  proceed  to  detail  their  own 
experiments  made  to  determine  the  relative  efTects  produced  on  the  putre- 
factive constituents  of  timber,  by  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  copper,  and  by 
corrosive  sublimate,  which  salts  they  find  to  act  in  a  similar  manner  and 
equally — and  are  considered  as  the  materials  most  powerful  in  their  pres- 
ervative agency;  and,  also,  their  experimeiits  to  ascertain  the  introduction 
of  the  sulphates,  by  the  proposed  process,"  into  the  body  of  different  kinds 
of  wood.  In  the  course  of  the  experiments  made  for  these  several  purposes, 
they  satisfy  themselves  of  the  following  results,  most  affecting  the  subject, 
which  we  give  in  the  language  of  the  "  report"] : 

"  1st.  That  if  these  salts — the  sulphates  of  n*on  and  copper — penetrate 
the  wood  throughlj^,  according  to  the  process  adopted  by  Dr.  Earle,  we 
have  an  economical  substitute  for  the  mercurial  compound — the  corrosive 
sublimate  ; 

"2d.  That  the  solutions  are  carried  through  the  pores  of  the  wood^  is 
conclusively  shown  by  the  experiments  (detailed)  on  pieces  taken  from  the 
interior  of  large  pieces  of  timber  which  had  been  boiled  with  the  solutions. 
The  pieces  were  further  split  in  half  and  the  experiments  made  on  the 
inner  surface ; 

"3d.  Tiiat  heated  solutions  of  various  salts,  such  as  corrosive  sublimate 
and  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  copper,  operate  by  expelling  the  gaseous  mat- 
ter, and  rendering  the  albumen  and  gelatine  inert  in  all  the  parts  of  the 
wood  which  they  penetrate ; 

"  4th.  That  they  (the  sulphates)  penetrate  different  woods  in  different 
degrees  ;  ash  being  more  thoroughly  impregnated  ;  he/nlock  nearly  the  samej 
hickory  less  so  ;  and  oaf:  still  less  ; 


5 


[  428  J 


"  5th.  That  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  copper  produce  the  precipitation 
■of  albumen  equally  well  with  the  perchloride  of  mercury  [corrosive  subli- 
mate)^  and  that  of  gluten  in  a  nearly  equal  degree  ;  and  that  they  are 
therefore  to  be  considered  as  an  excellent  arid  economical  substitute  for 
that  compound  ; 

"  6th.  That  therefore  the  penetration  of  wood,  by  these  salts  {the  sul- 
phates of  iron  and  copper)  renders  it  less  subject  to  decay  and  the  attacks 
of  insects  ; 

"  7th.  That  although  theory  and  experiment  thus  go  to  show  the  dimin- 
ished destructibihty  of  the  wood,  experiments  on  a  hirge  scale  should  be 
instituted  in  order  to  ascertain  the  correctness  of  these  views  of  the  com- 
mittee, without  which  they  are  of  little  value  ;  but  that  the  subject  is  one  of 
sufficient  importance,  and  the  probability  of  success  sufficiently  strong,  to 
warrant  the  performance  of  such  experiments  with  great  care,  and  with  less 
regard  to  the  primary  expense; 

"  8th.  That  lime  penetrates  wood  in  a  similar  manner" — but  the  opinion 
of  the  committee  as  to  the  effect  of  lime  on  the  wood  being  less  favorable, 
their  experiments  and  retisonings  are  not  thought  important  to  be  commu- 
nicated. 

To  the  report  of  the  Franklin  Institute  it  may  not  be  unavailing  to  add 
that  numerous  other  testimonials,  consisting  as  well  of  facts  as  of  the  opin- 
ions of  scientific  and  practical  individuals,  might  be  adduced  by  the  patentee 
in  favor  of  his  "  process  and  especially  that  the  "  committee  on  public 
highways" — after  having  used  it  to  some  extent  in  paving  with  blocks, 
during  the  summer  and  autumn  of  1839, — have  made  a  "  report"  on  it  to 
the  councils  consonant  to  that  of  the  institute ;  presenting  it  in  the  most 
favorable  manner  to  the  attention  of  the  councils  v/henever  they  shall  con- 
sider it  expedient  to  proceed  further  in  the  employment  of  wooden  pave- 
ments, &c. 

The  process  is  conducted  by  means  of  boilers  and  wooden  tanks,  which, 
in  size  and  cost,  may  be  accommodated  to  timber  of  any  dimensions  and 
quantity,  whether  it  be  to  prepare  posts  for  fencing,  or  the  largest  ship- 
timber  ;  and  is  capable  of  reducing  it,  in  a  few  hours,  from  a  perfectly  green 
to  a  perfectly  seasoned  state.  The  efficiency  of  this  method,  it  is  believed, 
will  prove  equal,  at  least,  to  any  that  ever  has  been  tried ;  while  the  facility 
with  which  it  may  be  practised,  and  the  trifling  expense  attending  it,  give 
it  powerful  claims  to  general  acceptance.  The  materials  employed  being 
inexhaustible  too,  and  not  liable  to  fluctuation  in  price,  can  never  occasion 
an  augmentation  of  the  cost. 

Communications  to  the  patentee,  may  be  directed  to  the  care  of  J  no.  C. 
Montgomery,  Esq.,  President  of  the  Little  Schuylkill  and  Susquehannah 
Railroad  Company,  or  to  Wm.  Rawle,  Esq.,  Counsellor  at  Law,  Phila- 
delphia. 

EDW.  EARLE. 

Philadelphia,  January  14,  1840. 


Philadelphia,  October  4,  1839. 
Respected  Friend — In  compliance  with  thy  request  that  we  should 
communicate  to  thee  the  result  of  any  experience  we  may  have  had  in  the 


6 


employment  of  wooden  vessels  in  our  copperas  and  blue  vitriol  works,  we 
may  briefly  state  that  about  two  and  a  half  years  ago  we  had  a  number  of 
large  crystallizing  vats  made  of  seasoned  white  pine-planks  into  which  the 
hot  solution  of  sulphate  of  iron  is  drawn  from  the  2:enerators.  The  first 
effect  observed  was  a  shrinking  of  the  wood  and  consequent  leaking,  to 
obviate  which  the  crystallizers  were  successively  buried,  nearly  to  the  top, 
in  a  moist  clay  soil.  Several  of  those  which  have  been  thus  buried  have,, 
from  time  to  time,  been  taken  up  and  examined,  and  we  have  found  no  in- 
dications of  decay,  the  texture  of  the  wood  appearing  generally  quite  firm 
and  sound,  except  in  places  where  there  have  been  fissures  into  which  the 
saturated  solution  penetrating  has,  by  its  crystallization,  forced  apart  the 
fibres  of  the  wood.  We  have  no  doubt  that  the  impregnation  of  wood 
with  the  solution  of  copperas  tends  to  its  preservation,  possibly  in  a  high 
degree,  but  the  facts  above  recited  are  all  that  have  come  under  our  notice* 
We  formerly  employed  wooden  vessels  for  the  sulphate  of  copper,  but  find- 
ing that  the  wood  was  softened  by  the  strong  acid  solution,  we  have  substi- 
tuted lead  ;  we  should,  however,  observe  that  that  effect  would  not  be  pro- 
duced by  a  dilute  solution,  such  as  that  thou  usest ;  on  the  contrary,  we 
think  it  quite  probable  that  in  such  proportion  it  may  increase  the  efficiency 
of  copperas  in  preserving  the  wood. 

Respectfully, 

CARTER  (fe  SCATTERGOOD, 

Manvfaciiiring  Chemists. 

Dr.  E.  Earle. 

Extract  from  the  minutes  of  the  committee  on  public  highways^  Philadel- 
phia,  August  13,  1839. 

"  JResolved,  That  this  committee,  having  tried  the  process  of  Dr.  Earle, 
are  satisfied,  from  the  effect  of  chemical  tests  on  the  split  blocks  and  other 
evidence  before  them,  that  he  has  fully  succeeded  in  impregnating  the 
wood  with  the  salts  of  iron  and  copper." 

WM.  STEVENSON,  Secretary. 

The  above  "resolution,"  in  connexion  with  the  fact  that,  under  the  au- 
thority of  the  said  committee,  several  portions  of  the  streets  of  Philadelphia 
have  already  been  paved  with  blocks  of  wood  prepared  according  to  this 
process,  and  that  the  same  work  is  still  proceeding  in  other  parts  of  the  city, 
is  strongly  expressive  of  their  confidence  in  the  effect  of  it ;  and  the  letter 
of  Messrs.  Carter  <fe  Scattergood  (a  couple  of  our  most  respectable  manu- 
facturing chemists,)  confirms,  in  a  great  degree,  the  fact  recognised  by  the. 
committee  in  their  "  report"  to  the  councils  forming  a  part  of  the  annexed 
circular. 

E.  E. 

Philadelphia,  October  22,  1839. 


Sir  :  That  you  may  be  the  better  enabled  to  estimate  the  value  of  the 
mineralizing  process,"  I  respectfully  submit  to  you  the  opinions  and  rea- 
sonings of  a  few  of  those  who  are  of  highest  authority  on  such  subjects.  T 
ask  the  favour  of  your  attention,  therefore,  to  the  following  evidences  of  the 


7  C  428  ] 

confidence  to  which  that  "  process"  is  entitled,  and  to  the  great  value  and 
importance  it  must  have  for  the  uses  for  which  it  is  designed. 
1  am,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

EDW.  EARLE. 

November  13,  1839. 


In  stating  the  reasons  on  which  I  have  formed  my  mode  of  treating  tim- 
ber, for  its  preservation,  and  for  behoving  in  its  efficacy,  it  may  be  most 
avaihng  to  show  their  agreement  with  the  opinions  of  a  few  of  the  latest 
and  most  approved  authors,  who  have  either  treated  the  subject  professedly, 
or  have  stated  the  general  principles  and  means,  by  which  it  and  similar 
objects  are  to  be  attained.  Of  the  first  description,  is  Tredgold,  whose  au- 
thority on  carpentry,  the  selection  and  employment  of  timber,  (fcc,  is  gen- 
erally received ; — and  of  the  latter  description,  is  Dr.  Ure,  of  Glasgow — one 
of  the  most  profound,  and  certainly  one  of  the  most  practical  and  exten- 
sively useful  chemists,  as  regards  the  arts  and  manufacturers,  now  living. 
In  speaking  of  the  causes  of  disease  in  timber,  and  of  the  means  of  prevent- 
ing and  arrestins:  it,  Mr.  Treds^old  also  gives  a  few  admonitions  of  evils 
that  occur  in  building,  well  deserving  the  attention  of  those  who  are  in  any 
way  engaged  in  such  undertakings.  For  such  evils  the  mineralizing  pro- 
cess" seems  to  offer  the  best  remedy. 

Mr.  Tredgold  says — warmth  and  moisture  are  the  most  active  causes 
of  decay." 

Building  timber  into  new  walls  is  often  a  cause  of  decay,  as  the  lime  and 
damp  brickwork  are  active  agents  in  producing  putrefaction,  particularly 
where  the  scrapings  of  roads  are  made  use  of  instead  of  sand  for  mortar. 
Henceit  is,  that  bond  timbers,  wall-plates,  and  the  ends  of  girders,  joists,  and 
lintels,  are  so  frequently  found  in  a  state  of  decay." 

"However  well  timber  may  be  seasoned  [meaning  in  the  ordinary  way] 
if  it  be  employed  in  a  damp  situation,  decay  is  the  certain  consequence." 

"  It  is  generally  imagined,  that  timber  may  be  secured  against  the  rot  by 
impregnating  it  with  substances  that  resist  putrefaction." 

"  Sul'pkate  of  iron  (green  copperas)  appears  to  be  likely  to  answer  this 
purpose." 

"  In  the  Swedish  transactions,  it  is  recommended  for  preserving  the  wood 
of  wheel  carriages  from  decay  ;  (Newman,  quoted  by  Chapman,  on  preser- 
vation of  timber) — and  Mr.  Chapman  observes,  that  wooden  vessels  in  tvhich 
copperas  is  cryslallized^  become  exceedingly  hard,  and  not  subject  to 
decayP 

To  cure  the  external  rot,  the  same  author  continues  :  "  A  solution  of 
corrosive  sublimate  would  answer  very  well.  It  was  proposed  by  Sir  Hum- 
phrey Davy.  A  weak  solution  does  not  produce  the  desired  effect.  Chap- 
man says,  there  should  be  an  ounce  of  corrosive  sublimate  to  a  gallon  of 
water." 

"  A  solution  of  snlphute  of  copper  makes  an  excellent  wash  ;  and  is 
cheaper  than  the  precediJig  one^ 

"  A  strong-  solution,  of  sulphate  of  iron  is  sometimes  used,  hut  is  7iot  so 
effectual  as  that  of  copper  ;  and  sometimes  a  mixture  of  the  two  solutions 
has  been  used^ 

Dr.  Ure,  describing  the  destructive  process  of  vegetables,  in  his  late  very 
-valuable  work,  expresses  hmiself  so  pertinently  to  my  purpose,  and  so  forci- 


t  428  ] 


8 


bly  inculcates  the  very  principles  and  materials  I  had  previously  adopted, 
that  I  quote  from  him  a  few  of  his  most  significant  sentences  : 

"  In  vegetables  which  putrefy,  it  is  the  albu??ien  which  first  suffers  de- 
composition. When  dissolved  in  water,  [as  it  always  is,  in  its  natural  state] 
it  very  readily  putrefies  in  a  moderately  warm  air  ;  but  when  coagulated, 
it  seems  as  little  liable  to  putridity  as  fibrin  itself.  He7ice,  t/i06X  means 
which  by  coagulation  make  the  albumen  insoltible,  or  form,  loiih  it  a  new 
compound,  which  does  not  dissolve  imvafer,  but  ivhich  resists  'putrefaction^ 
are  powerful  aiitisepticsy 

In  this  way,"  acids,  alcohol,  salt,  sugar,  and  a  great  variety  of  chemical 
substances,  act  in  curing  hides  and  meat,  and  in  preserving,  for  domestic 
use,  our  summer  fruits  and  vegetables,  as  sour  krout,  (fcc.  But,  than  all 
others,  continues  Dr.  Ure,  "  the  metallic  salts  operate  still  more  efFt3Ctually 
as  antiseptics,  because  they  form  with  albumen  still  more  intimate  com- 
binations. Under  this  head  we  especially  class  the  green  and  red  sulphates 
of  iron  [the  sulphate  of  copper]  and  corrosive  sublimate.  The  latter, 
however,  from  its  poisonous  qualities,  can  be  employed  only  on  special  oc- 
^casions." 

On  a  different  occasion  he  says — 

'•Albumen  occasions  precipitates  with  the  solutions  of  almost  every  me- 
tallic salt ;  and,  according  to  Dr.  Bostock,  a  drop  of  saturated  solution  of 
corrosive  sublimate,  let  fall  into  water  containing  one  two  thousandth  of 
albumen,  occasions  a  milkiness  and  curdy  precipitate."  [In  other  places, 
Dr.  Ure  classes  the  sulphates  of  copper  and  iron  by  the  side  of  corrosive 
sublimate  ;  and  i  have  had  occasion  to  show  to  the  former  "  committee  on 
public  highways,"  that  the  solution  of  these  sulphates,  in  the  proportions 
in  which  I  use  them,  produces,  with  albumen,  the  appearance  here  spoken 
of  in  precisely  the  same  manner,  and  in  an  equally  strong  degree  as  the  so- 
lution of  corrosive  sublimate.] 

The  expulsion  of  water  and  of  oxygen  gas,  or  the  fixation  of  them  by 
other  substances,  is  another  necessary  meansj  stated  by  Dr..  Ure,  for  the 
prevention  ot  putrefaction  : 

"  Even  in  those  cases  where  no  separation  of  the  albumen  takes  place  in 
a  coagulated  form,  or  as  a  solid  precipitate,  by  the  operation  of  a  substance 
foreign  to  the  juices,  putrefaction  cannot  go  on,  any  more  than  other  kinds 
of  fermentation,  in  bodies  wholly  or  in  a  great  measure  deprived  of  their 
"water." 

This,  and  the  expulsion  of  the  gas,  so  necessary  to  putrefaction,  "is  most 
readily  accomplished  by  heat,  which,  by  expanding  the  air,  evolves  it  in  a 
great  measure,  and  at  the  same  time  favors  the  fixation  of  the  (remaining) 
oxygen  in  the  extractive  matter,  so  as  to  make  it  no  longer  available  toward 
the  putrefaction  of  the  other  substances." 

From  the  above  quotations,  then,  it  appears,  summarily,  that  albumen  is 
the  first  subject  of  decay  in  timber  ;  and  that  the  removal  of  it  and  the  gases, 
is  the  surest  means  of  preventing  that  decay.  It  evidently  appears,  also, 
that  the  most  certain  method  of  accomplishnig  this  is  by  the  employment 
of  corrosive  sublimate,  or  of  the  sidphates  of  iron  and  copper  with  heat. 
Now,  such  are  the  very  means  I  employ  ;  having  ascertained  for  myself,  by 
many  experiments,  the  proportions  in  which  those  salts  may  be  employed 
with  most  efficacy  and  advantage.  I  confidently,  therefore,  refer  to  Mr. 
Tredgold  and  Dr.  Ure,  to  say  nothing  of  others,  for  sanction  of  the  princi- 
ples and  practice  I  had  already  adopted  in  my  "  mineralizing  process," — 


[  428  ] 


which  is,  therefore,  believed  to  present  all  the  certainly  that  can  belong  to 
any  method  for  giving  to  timber  the  permanent  useiulnessof  which  we  are 
in  search. 

EDW.  EARLE. 

November  12,  1839. 


SPECIFICATION  OR  DIRECTIONS  FOR  MAKING  USE  OF  THE  ABOVE  PATENTS. 

For  the  use  of  Patent  No.  2. 

The  timber  being  placed,  and  properly  confined  in  its  position,  in  a 
stronsr  wooden  tank,  a  sohition  of  the  sulphates  of  iron  and  copper  is  to  be 
added  to  it  in  sufficient  quantity  to  cover  it  several  inches.  This  should 
be  done  in  the  eveninof,  and,  the  foUowino^  morning,  the  temperature  of  the 
fluid  should  be  very  pjadually  raised  to  the  boiling  point,  and  steadily  kept 
up  from  two  or  three  to  six  or  eight  hours,  according  to  the  size  and  kind 
of  timber; — very  large  sticks — especially  if  they  be  of  dense,  hard  wood 
— requiring  longer  treatment  that  those  of  moderate  size,  or  of  more  open 
and  pervious  quality.  After  the  boiling  has  been  continued  the  proper 
time,  the  timber  is  to  remain  in  the  fluid  to  cool  gradually  ;  then  to  be 
removed  to  a  shed,  and  laid  on  its  side  so  as  to  be  freely  ventilated  on  all 
sides,  yet  protected  from  high  wind,  from  cold,  and  from  the  snn,  until  it  is 
throughly  dry.  The  whole  process  is  to  be  facilitated  by  a  perforation,  of 
a  moderate  caliber,  through  the  centre  of  the  timber  (when  the  size,  and 
convenience,  admit  of  it)  prior  to  ihe  boiling  ;  and,  in  that  case,  when  it  is 
diy  (which,  in  temperate  weather,  it  will  soon  be)  and  before  it  is  used 
the  perforation  is  to  be  tightly  plugged  with  wood  of  tho  same  kind,  and 
which  has  been  treated  in  the  same  manner.  Tlie  solution  may  be  made 
in  the  proportions  of  one-fourth  of  the  sulphate  of  copper  and  three  fourths 
of  the  sulphate  of  iron — that  is,  a  pound  of  the  first  and  three  pounds  of 
the  latter — to  twelve  oallons  of  water  ;  and  it  should  be  in  sufficient  quanti- 
ty to  keep  the  timbv^r  constantly  submerged.  Also,  an  additional  quantity 
of  solution,  but  of  only  half  tfie  strength  of  the  first,  should  be  prepared  and 
added  occasionally  to  repair  the  waste  of  absorption  and  evaporation  during 
the  process:  and  it  should  be  added  hot,  that  it  may  not  check  the  boiling. 
In  purchasing  these  salts  it  is  important  to  select  such  as  are  free  from 
superabundant  acid,  and  from  oxydation.* 

For  ihe  use  of  Patent  No.  1. 

When  it  is  preferred  to  prepare  timber  with  lime  instead  of  the  above 
salts,  the  process  is  to  be  conducted  in  precisely  the  same  way.  The  lime- 
water,  however,  should  be  the  strongest  that  can  be  made,  viz,  by  adding 
a  peck  of  best  quicklime  to  every  two  hundred  gallons  of  water,  carefully 
mixing  them,  that  every  portion  of  the  lime  may  be  slaked,  and  the  water 
be  fully  saturated.    An  extra  quantity  of  the  same  mixture,  also,  should  be 


*  In  using  these  salts  it  must  be  remembered  that  no  iron  vessel,  nor  iron  nails  for  fastenings 
or  other  purposes,  are  to  be  brought  into  contact  with  the  solution.  Copper  and  lead  are  the 
■only  metals  that  may  be  so  employed. 


E428] 


10 


prepared  and  occasionally  added  during  the  operation,  to  maintain  the- 
strength  of  the  fluid,  as  well  as  to  repair  the  waste  by  absorption  and  evap- 
oration. The  boihng  being  finished,  the  timber  is  to  undergo  the  same 
treatment  as  above.  The  most  soluble  lime,  or  what  is  known  under  the 
name  of  fat  lime,  should  be  preferred. 

EDW.  EARLE. 

April  12,  1839. 


DIAGRAPH  OF  APPARATUS,  No.  I. 
For  mineralizing  timber.    E.  Earle,  patentee,  Philadelphia. 

Figures  1  and  2  exhibit  a  front  and  a  lateral  or  sectional  view  of  ihe  furnace,  boiler,  &c. 

Fig.  1. 

AA. — The  sides  of  the  wall,  12  to  15  inches  thick,  rising  and  surrounding 
the  boiler  as  high  as  the  water-line.  The  front  part  of  the  wall,  in 
.  contact  with  the  boiler,  is  supposed  to  be  removed  to  show  the  manner 
in  which  it  curves  round  the  boiler  at  the  distance  of  two  or  three 
inches,  and  allows  it,  in  its  whole  length,  to  be  enveloped  in  the  fire. 

B. — The  fireplace  and  iron  door. 

C— The  ash  pit. 

D.  — The  front  end  of  the  boiler,  supported  by  a  strong  iron  bar  extending 

across  from  one  side- wall  to  the  other,  and  forming  the  top  of  the  fire- 
place. 

E.  — The  man  hole,  15  inches  diameter,  to  admit  a  man  to  the  interior  of 

the  boiler  to  clean  it. 

F.  — The  cock  or  valve  through  which  water  is  admitted  from  the  receiver, 
/. — The  gauge-valves ;  one  on  and  one  above  and  below  the  water-line. 

G.  — The  drum-head,  or  reservoir  of  steam,  30  inches  long  and  8  inches 

diameter,  rising  from  the  boiler  by  a  neck  of  4  inches  diameter  and  & 
inches  high,  and  having  a  number  of  pipe-ends  soldered  into  it  for 
attachment. 

Fig.  2. 

A.  — The  fire-grate,  4J  feet  long  to  transverse  wall,  G  ;  24  inches  wide,  and 

15  inches  deep  from  the  boiler  to  the  grate. 

B.  — The  ash-pit  through  which  the  fire  is  maintained  by  atmospheric  air. 

C.  — The  flue,  4^  inches  vertical,  by  12  or  15  inches  horizontal,  and  30 

inches  wide,  formed  between  the  boiler  and  top  of  the  transverse  wall. 

D.  — Shows  a  large  hollow  space  (the  side  wall  being  removed)  extending 

from  the  transverse  wall  to  the  chimney,  and  allowing  the  expansion 
of  the  heat  around  the  body  of  the  boiler. 

EE. — The  hue,  4  inches  vertical  by  9  wide,  leading  into  the  chimney  un- 
der the  boiler,  which  rests  on  a  brick  column  12  inches  square,  at  fig- 
ure 1,  near  the  end.  The  continuation  of  the  flue  forms  the  funnel  of 
the  chininey,  which  should  be  round  and  smooth  inside,  and  about 
9  inches  in  diameter. 

F. — The  chimney,  12  to  15  feet  high,  with  a  damper  at  figure  3,  to  prevent 
the  too  rapid  escape  of  heat. 


11 


[  4?8  3 


G. — The  transverse  wall,  12  to  15  inches  thick,  extending  across  the  in- 
terior of  the  furnace  from  one  side  wall  to  the  other — supporting  the 
inner  end  of  the  grate,  and  forming  the  flue,  C,  between  its  top  and 
the  boiler.  It  has  an  iron  door  in  the  under  part  (which  should  fit 
very  tight)  to  allow  of  cleaning  out  the  interior  of  the  furnace. 

HH — The  water-line  of  the  boiler,  should  be  about  two  thirds  the  perpen- 
dicular diameter. 

K. — The  safety-valve,  4  inches  diameter. 

L. — The  gauge-pipes,  one  on  and  one  above  and  below  the  water  Hne. 
M. — The  valve-cock  ;  to  be  connected  by  a  pipe  with  the  discharging  pipe^ 
M,  of  the  force-pump. 

Fig.  3. 

Another  view  of  the  boiler,  connected  by  a  pipe  and  flanges,  of  2  inches 
diameter,  with  the  reservoir-pipe,  A. — A  stop-cock  at  figure  2,  to  turn 
ofi'the  steam  when  required. 

Fig.  4. 

A  ground-view  of  the  tank,  which  is  supposed  to  be  30  feet  long,  6  feet 
wide,  and  6  feet  deep  ;  solid  contents  1,080  cubic  feet.  It  should  be 
made  of  the  best  three  inch  seasoned  plank,  and  so  constructed  as  to 
be  secure  against  leaking  and  bursting 

A.  — The  large  reservoir-pipe,  of  6  inches  diameter,  lying  across  the  bottom 

of  the  tank,  and  havmg  18  pipes,  of  two-inch  diameter,  soldered  into 
and  extending  to  the  other  end,  where  they  are  attached  to  another 
pipe.* 

B.  — A  pipe  of  3  inches  diameter,  which  conveys  the  condensed  steam  to  the 

receiver. 

C.  — The  castiron  receiver,  12  inches  square  and  18  inches  deep,  into  which 

the  condensed  steam  is  discharged. 

D.  — A  cock,  which  should  be  a  foot  from  the  bottom  of  the  receiver,  to  be 

connected,  by  a  short  pipe,  with  the  suction-valve  of  the  force-pump, 

E.  — The  cock  which  discharges  the  solution  from  the  tank  when  no  longer 

fit  for  use. 

Fig.  5. 

Farnam's  double  force  pump,  which  discharges  both  by  the  upward  and 
downward  stroke.  It  should  be  made  of  brass  instead  of  iron,  and  the 
valves  should  be  of  the  same  metal  instead  of  leather. 

A. — The  piston. 

D. — The  suction-pipe  to  be  connected  with  the  cock,  D,  of  the  receiver. 


*  If  it  should  be  found  difficult  to  make  the  necessary  connexions  of  the  pipes  with  hard  sol- 
der, another,  and,  perhaps,  better  method  may  be  substituted,  to  have  the  reservoir-pipe,  A,  cast 
of  brass,  one-fourth  of  an  inch  thick,  with  bosses,  in  which  lemale  screws  may  be  formed  to  re- 
ceive the  male  screws  of  the  correspondent  longitudinal  pipes';  the  oiher  end  of  which  may  be 
attached  by  coupling.boxes  to  short  pipes,  three  or  four  inches  long,  proceeding  from  the  other 
cross-pipe,  B,  cast  of  brass  for  the  purpose,  and  discharging  ihe  condensed  steam  into  the  re- 
servoir, C. 


[  428  J 


12 


M. — The  discharginof-pipe  to  be  connected  with  the  cock,  M,  in  the  end  of 
the  boiler.  For  convenience  sake,  the  connxtions  of  the  pipes  in 
the  tank,  and  of  the  force-pump  with  the  boiler,  should  be  the  reverse 
of  the  representation  by  the  figure,  that  the  receiver  and  pump  may 
be  near  the  front  end  of  the  boiler. 

DIAGRAPH  OF  APPARATUS,  No.  2. 
Fig.  1. 

A.  — The  front  of  the  furnace. 

B.  — The  boiler,  78  inches  high  (exclusive  of  the  man-hole,  D,  covered  by  a 

cap),  and  20  inches  diameter,  made  of  substantial  copper,  with  an  ap- 
propriate thick  bottom. 

C.  — The  convexity  of  the  bottom  of  the  boiler,  like  the  bottom  of  a  bottle. 

D.  — The  man-hole,  15  inches  diameter,  to  admit  a  person  to  clean  the  boiler 

when  necessary. 
EE. — The  wall  of  the  furnace, 

F.  — The  iron  door,  above  which  a  very  thick  iron  plate,  or  strong  bars, 

are  worked  into  and  across  the  front  wall  to  support  the  incumbent 
weight  of  the  upper  part  of  it, 

G.  — The  ash-pit,  through  which  the  atmospheric  air  has  access  to  the  fire. 

H.  — The  bottom-pipe  conveying  the  colder  fluid  fro?n  the  tank  into  the 

boiler.  The  construction  and  dimensions  of  this  and  the  other  pipes 
must  be  accurately  observed.  The  whole  length  of  the  lower  pipes  is 
60  inches,  or  5  feet,  viz : 

inches. 

From  the  inside  of  the  tank,  to  which  it  is  attached  by  a 
flange,  or  broad  expansion,  of  2^  or  3  inches,  and  fastened 
by  strong  copper  nails  to  the  outside  of  the  tank  -  -  3 

From  outside  of  the  tauk  to  the  first  brass  flange  connecting- 
it  v/ith  the  cock  -  -  -  -  -  -  29 

Thickness  of  said  flange  and  the  correspondent  flange  of  the 
cock       -  -  -  -  -  -  -  1 

Length  of  the  stop-cock  from  flange  to  flange  -  -  8 

Thickness  of  the  two  other  flanges  connecting  the  cock  with 
that  part  of  the  pipe  which  proceeds  from  the  boiler        -  1 

Length  of  the  pipe  from  cock  to  the  wall  3  inches,  and  thence 
to  the  interior  of  the  wall  12        -  -  -  -  15 

Length  from  interior  of  the  wall  through  the  space  forming 
the  flue,  between  it  and  the  boiler,  to  which  it  is  riveted 
on  the  inside    -  -  3 

—60 

Diameter,  where  it  issues  from  the  tank,  gradually  lessening 

to  where  it  joins  the  cock  -  -  -  -  6 

Small  diameter,  from  where  it  joins  the  cock  to  the  boiler    -  2 
H. — The  upper  pipe,  proceeding  from  the  boiler  to  the  tank,  the 
lower  side  of  which  is  24  inches  above  the  upper  side  of  the 
lower  pipe,  has  the  same  diameters,  and  differs  in  length  only, 
viz : 

From  the  boiler  to  where  it  joins  the  cock  (three  inches  be- 
yond the  outside  of  the  wall)       -  -  -  -  18 


13 


[  428  ] 


Flanges  and  cock  as  above  -  -      .    -  -  10 

From  cock  to  tank,  and  through  tank,  to  which  it  is  united 
as  above  -  -  -  -  -  -17 

Fig.  2. 

A. — Front  view  of  the  tanks,  six  inches  from  the  furnace  at  their  tops, 
showing  their  proportions  in  width  at  top  and  bottom,  the  first  being" 
9  and  the  last  3  feet ;  and  the  trusses,  or,  a,  which  are  connected  with 
the  outside  frame  for  supporting  the  loaded  tank.  The  length  of  the 
tank  is  21  feet  at  top  and  18  at  bottom.  The  inclination  of  the  sides, 
therefore,  is  3  feet,  and  of  the  ends  18  inches.  Depth  6  feet.  Cubic 
contents  526.]  feet. 

C.  — Exhibits  the  fall  of  the  top,  which  lifts  by  a  hinge  18  inches  from  the 

outer  edge  of  the  tank.  That  it  may  be  easily  raised,  it  should  be 
divided  in  its  length  into  several  sections,  and  one  edge  should  over- 
lap the  other  to  keep  the  tank  tight  and  prevent  evaporation. 

D.  — The  water-line,  intended  to  be  6  inches  below  the  top. 

Fig.  3. 

AA. — The  boilers,  two  being  required  for  tanks  of  this  size. 

BB. — The  brick  work  of  the  furnace,  12  inches  thick.    Both  together  show 

the  interval  or  flue  of  3  inches  between  them. 
OC. — The  tanks — showing  their  interior. 
DD. — The  lower  pipes. 
EE. — The  upper  pipes. 

F.  — The  horizontal  wall  running  off  on  a  level  with  the  top  of  the  furnace, 

forming  an  oblong  square  of  18  or  20  inches  diameter,  and  enclosing 

G.  — The  horizontal  flue,  six  by  nine  inches,  vv^hich,  entering  the  chimney, 

forms  the  bottom  of  the  funnel. 
HH. — The  chimney,  IS  or  20  inches  square,  and  about  12  feet  high.  It 

should  be  coated  with  mortar  very  smoothly  within. 
J. — The  funnel  of  the  chimney  about  nine  inches  square. 

Fig.  4. 

A  side-view  of  the  strong  framework  holding  the  tank,  to  which  the  trus- 
ses, a,  a  (Fig.  2).  are  firmly  joined. 

Fig.  5. 

An  interior  and  gronnd-view  of  the  furnace^  flue,  <^c. 

A. — The  fife  grate,  extending  from  the  front  of  the  wall  to  two  thirds  of  the 
diameter  of  the  boiler,  or  28  inches.  The  fireplace  proper,  commences 
where  the  edge  of  the  boiler  rests  on  the  brick- work,  or  at  the  front 
edge  of  the  flue,  and  the  fire  should  not  be  kindled  nor  suflfered  to 
burn  within  12  inches  of  the  door.  It  is  15  inches  vertical,  nine 
inches  wide,  and  nine  inches  high  on  the  sides,  where  it  slopes  Qf[ 
and  gradually  rises  six  inches  more  to  where  the  edge  of  the  boiler 
rests  on  the  foundation  brickwork  all  round,  as  represented  by  the 
shaded  part,  except  at  D, 


[  428  ] 


14 


B.  — The  enclosing  wall  of  the  furnace,  12  inches  thick. 

C.  — The  flue  or  space  between  the  interior  of  the  wall  and  the  boiler,  three 

inches,  extending  up  to  the  water  line. 

D.  — The  draught  from  the  fire  into  the  flue.    It  is  represented  by  three 

courses  of  brick,  as  bounding  the  fireplace  and  commencing  the 
draught,  which  forms  an  ans'le,  and,  traversing  the  remaining  third  of 
the  bottom  of  the  boiler,  enters  the  flue  on  one  side  of  the  middle  line 
of  the  furnace  and  boiler, 

E.  — The  partition,  one  brick  or  four  inches  wide,  which,  commencing  with 

the  commencement  of  the  flue,  obliquely  crosses  the  middle  line  as  it 
rises  to  the  top  of  the  furnace.    This  compels  the  heat  and  smoke, 
entering  the  flue  at  D,  to  make  a  spiral  ascent  round  the  boiler  as  they 
rise  to  escape  at  the  horizontal  flue  and  pass  off"  to  the  chimney. 
FF.— The  boiler. 

G.  — The  opening  of  the  horizontal  flue,  nine  inches  vertical  and  six  inches 

wide,  leading  to  the  chimney. 

H.  — The  water-line  of  the  boiler,  leaving  six  inches  above  it,  beside  the 
-cap,  as  space  for  ebullition. 

Fig.  6. 

A  sectional  view  showing  the  form  of  the  pipes  as  they  convey  the  solution 
from  the  bottom  of  the  tank  to  the  bottom  of  the  boiler,  and  return  it 
from  the  upper  part  of  the  boiler  to  the  upper  part  of  the  tank  ;  the 
body  of  the  pipe  ;  the  flange  of  the  large  end  of  the  pipe,  to  be  fastened 
by  strong  copper  nails  to  the  inside  of  the  tank ;  the  flange  of  the 
small  end  of  the  pipe,  embraced  between  the  brass  flange  and  the  cor- 
respondent flange  of  the  cock,  where  they  are  united  by  screws.  To 
prevent  leaking  at  this  and  all  similar  junctions^  a  piece  of  paste- 
board, or  coarse  thick  cloth,  with  a  circular  hole  equal  to  the  diame- 
ter of  the  pipe  and  cock,  and  well  charged  with  white  lead,  should  be 
interposed  between  the  flanges. 

Fig.  7. 

Kepresents  the  brass  flange.  A  very  broad  and  strong  one  should  be  laid 
on  the  copper  flange  of  each  pipe  where  it  attaches  to  the  inside  of 
the  tank,  and  well  secured  by  strong  brass  screws,  to  prevent  the  pipe 
from  tearing  loose  from  the  wood. 

GENERAL  DIRECTIONS. 

The  boilers  of  diagraph.  No.  2,  are  to  be  of  copper,  and  no  metal,  except 
copper,  brass,  or  lead,  is  to  be  employed  for  any  purpose  within  the  tanks, 
as  the  solution  of  the  sulphates  would  destroy  any  other. 

The  furnaces  and  boilers  are  to  be  first  adjusted  and  permanently  fixed, 
and  the  position  of  the  tanks  is  next  to  be  accommodated  to  them. 

In  the  construction  of  the  tanks,  long  copper  rods,  of  three  fourths  of  an 
inch  diameter,  v/ith  a  broad  head  at  one  end,  and  a  screw  and  nut  at  the 
other,  should  perforate  the  planks  crosswise  of  the  grain  and  the  joints  ;  by 
which  the  planks  may  be  drawn  closely  together  when  they  have  slirunk, 
and  thus  be  prevented  from  leaking.  They  are  necessary,  also,  to  strength- 
«U  the  tank. 


15 


[  428  ] 


These  directions  apply  to  dia^raph,  No.  1,  also,  except  that  the  boiler, 
;as  it  does  not  come  into  contact  with  the  solution,  had  better  be  of  iron. 

Each  of  the  boilers,  of  diagraph,  No.  2,  must  be  provided  with  a  pipe 
and  cock  similar,  in  size  and  fornix  to  the  upper  pipes  which  convey  the 
solution  from  the  boiler  to  the  tank,  and  long  enough  to  pass  through  the 
wall,  say  eighteen  inches.  These  are  to  be  attached  to  the  bottoms  of  the 
boilers  (one  to  each)  immediately  opposite  to  the  door  of  the  furnace. 
They  are  intended  to  let  off  the  solution  from  the  boilers  when  no  longer 
fit  for  use.  These  pipes  and  cocks  are  not  exhibited  in  the  engraving,  as 
they  are  supposed  to  be  under,  and  concealed  by  the  horizontal  wall  con- 
necting the  two  furnaces. 

Each  tank,  also,  should  be  provided  with  a  large  cock  for  letting  off  the 
exhausted  solution ;  and  with  a  small  common  cock^  inserted  at  the  bottom 
and  outer  side  of  each  tank,  for  ascertaining,  occasionally,  the  heat  of  the 
solution. 

^3=^  A  strong  wooden  grate,  or  frame  of  cross  bars,  should  rest  on  pieces, 
as  shoulders,  fastened  to  the  bottom  of  each  tank,  and  rising  just  above  the 
level  of  the  pipes,  to  prevent  their  being  pressed  by  the  tipiber  with  which 
the  tank  is  loaded  ;  and  for  the  purpose,  also,  of  allowing  the  lower  stratum 
of  the  solution  to  flow  freely  into  the  pipes  (of  diagraph.  No.  2),  conducting 
it  to  the  boiler.  A  separation,  two  or  three  inches,  of  the  timbers,  where 
the  upper  pipes  enter  the  tank,  sfiould  be  left  for  free  transmission  of  the 
heated  solution  across  the  width  of  the  tank  at  this  part.  It  might  be  well 
assisted  by  attaching  an  additional  copper  pipe  to  the  entrance  of  the  other 
to  conduct  the  solution,  that  thus  it  might  be  discharged  about  the  middle 
of  the  tank,  and  the  heated  solution  equally  diffused. 


Engineer  Department, 

Washington,  April  7,  1840. 

Sir:  In  answer  to  the  resolution  of  the  Senate  dated  March  20,  asking 
for  certnin  information  on  the  process  of  "  Kj^anizing,''  I  have  the  honor  to 
report,  that  this  process  has  been  applied  to  the  preservation  of  the  timber 
used  at  two  of  the  public  works  under  this  department,  the  officers  in  c) large 
of  which  were  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the  resolution,  and  directed  to  sup- 
ply all  the  information  in  their  possession  on  the  subject. 

Copies  of  their  communications  are  submitted  herewith  :  they  imbody 
all  the  information  the  department  is  enabled  to  offer  from  its  own  e>.ne- 
rience. 

I  am,  sir,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

.TOS.  G.  TOTTEN, 
Colonel,  and  Chief  Engineer. 

Hon.  J.  R.  Poinsett, 

iSecreiary  of  War, 


Washington,  March  27,  1840. 
Sir  :  The  following  information,  relative  to  Kyanizing  timber  to  prevent 
the  dry-rot,  is,  at  your  request,  herewith  communicated  to  the  department. 


I  428  ] 


16 


As  it  was  necessary  to  Kyanize  all  the  timber  used  in  repairing  Port 
Niagara  when  operations  commenced,  the  proper  steps  were  taken  for  put- 
tinir  into  practice  Kyan's  method.  This  required  nothing  more  than  a 
water-tight  vessel,  without  any  iron  on  ils  inside,  and  a  quantity  of  corrosive 
subhmate.  The  subUmate  was  dissolved  in  hot , water,  the  timber  to  be 
saturated  placed  in  the  vessel,  and  the  solution  poured  therein.  It  was 
left  iu  this  state  a  certain  number  of  days,  depending  on  the  size  of  the  tim- 
ber. The  solution  was  then  pumped  out,  and  the  timber  taken  from  the 
tank  and  placed  under  cover  to  dry. 

The  vessels  used  by  me  in  my  operations  were,  first,  a  tank,  made  of 
four  and  a  half  inch  Canadian  pine  plank,  thirty  feet  long,  eight  wide,  and 
five  and  a  half  deep  ;  and,  secondly,  a  cistern  of  a  capacity  about  one  third 
that  of  the  tank.  The  plank  were  tongued  and  grooved,  and  secured  to- 
gether by  one-inch  iron  bolts.  In  most  cases,  it  would  be  well  to  calk 
the  vessels  on  the  inside;  but,  as  mine  did  not  leak  on  being  filled  with 
water,  no  precaution  of  this  kind  with  them  seemed  necessary.  The  cor- 
rosive sublimate  was  dissolved  in  hot  water  and  poured  into  the  cistern, 
and,  after  a  sufficient  quantity  had  been  used,  water  was  added,  until  the 
strength  of  the  solution  indicated  a  proportion  of  one  pound  of  corrosive 
subliuiate  to  fifteen  gallons  of  water.  The  tank,  in  the  meantime,  was 
filled  with  timber,  well  fastened  down  with,  cleats,  Avith  sufficient  space  be- 
tween the  different  sticks  to  allow  a  free  circulation  of  water  around  them ; 
the  solution  was  then  pumped  from  the  cistern  into  the  tank,  and,  after 
having  been  left  therein  the  requisite  nrirnberof  days,  was  pumped  back  into 
the  cistern  :  the  timber  was  then  taken  out  and  placed  under  shelter  to  dry  ; 
and  this  completed  the  whole  operation. 

The  same  solution  can  be  used  any  number  of  times,  provided  care  be 
taken  to  add,  occasionally,  a  sufficient  quantity  of  corrosive  sublimate  to 
keep  it  at  its  proper  degree  of  strength. 

The  timber  saturated  by  me,  amounting  altogetlier  to  between  three  and 
four  thousand  cubic  feet,  is  mostly  of  a  large  size,  the  different  sticks  varying 
between  eight  and  twenty  four  feet  in  length,  and  twelve  and  eighteen 
inches  in  breadth,  and  has  cost  a  little  over  twelve  cents  a  cubic  foot.  This, 
however,  should  not  be  taken  as  the  average  cost ;  for,  beside  the  large 
size  of  the  timber  saturated,  the  circumstances  under  which  the  operation 
has  thus  far  been  conducted  have  been  by  no  means  flivorable.  The  tank 
was  not  completed  until  nearly  the  1st  of  November  ;  so  that  most  of  the 
timber  prepared  has  been  Kyanized  durinof  the  winter  months — the  season 
of  the  year,  of  all  others,  least  favorable  for  such  an  operation.  Wj^ij 
so,  a  few  words  will  explain.  When  the  weather  was  cold,  the  time  re- 
quired for  loading  and  unloading  the  tank  was  much  longer  than  when 
moderate,  and  hence  the  cost  vv^as  greater.  Besides,  the  moisture  in  the 
timber  during  the  severe  vveather  being  frozen,  the  moment  a  stick  was 
placed  in  the  solution  it  became  enveloped  in  a  thick  crust  of  ice.  This,  if 
not  removed,  would  have  prevented  the  corrosive  sublimate  from  having 
any  action  whatever  upon  the  wood  ;  and  therefore  it  became  necessary,  in 
order  to  avoid  delaying  the  work,  to  incur  the  expense  of  melting  the  ice 
thus  formed  around  the  different  sticks,  and  of  preventing  the  solution  after- 
ward from  freezing. 

The  timber,  after  it  has  been  prepared,  is  found  to  be  a  liitle  darker  in  its 
appearance. 


iSess:  Jti  Cmuj.  S.Doc.  426 


DIAGRAPH 

^r?i  OP 
AFFARATTTS 

MINERALIZING 

TLMBER 

E.  Ernie,  Fatentee 
FhiLad^  1839. 


W.J.Sktw  So.Vwsh- 


1  Sas.  26  Cong.  S.Voc.  428 


W.J.Storue,  So.Wa.sh. 


17 


[428] 


The  very  short  time  the  process  of  Kyanizing  at  Fort  Niagara  has  been 
in  operation  renders  it  impossible  to  decide  definitively  either  on  its  efficacy 
or  cost. 

From  an  article  in  the  first  volume  of  the  Transactions  of  the  Royal 
Engineers,  considerable  information  on  the  subject  can  be  obtained,  and 
from  this  the  following  remarks  were  taken. 

Professor  Faraday  states,  in  a  lecture  of  his  on  the  subject,  that,  in  his 
opinion,  the  efficacy  of  the  process  consists  in  a  chemical  combination  being 
formed  between  the  albuminous  principle  of  the  wood,  which  is  first  liable 
to  decay,  and  the  corrosive  sublimate  ;  and  Dr.  Birkbeck  says  it  produces 
the  same  change  in  vegetable  substances  that  tanning  does  in  animal. 

They  both  express  the  opinion  that  there  can  be  no  doubt  of  the  entire 
success  of  the  experiments. 

From  a  number  of  trials  mentioned  in  the  same  article,  it  would  seem 
that  the  preparation  of  timber  in  this  manner  has  the  effect  of  slightly  re- 
ducing its  specific  gravity,  and  making  it  stifFer,  but  at  the  same  time  more 
brittle. 

To  ascertain  whether  the  timber  has  been  sufficiently  saturated.  Professor 
Faraday  recommends  the  application  of  the  hydro  sulphuret  of  ammonia, 
which  turns  black  when  it  touches  mercury.  By  this  means,  its  presence 
was  discovered  in  a  cube  of  elm,  to  the  depth  of  from  one-fifth  to  one-fourth  of 
an  inch,  and,  by  voltaic  action,  from  three-fourths  to  one  inch.  Its  action 
was  less  perceptible  at  the  same  depths  in  a  cube  of  oak,  and  still  less  so  in 
one  of  fir — the  turpentine  in  the  last  preventing,  probably,  the  penetration 
of  the  solution. 

He  likewise  says,  the  success  of  the  method  is  rendered  the  more  certain 
from  the  tendency  of  the  solution  to  distribute  itself  (though  at  first  satu- 
rating but  to  a  small  depth)  equally  through  all  the  pores  of  the  wood ;  and, 
even  if  it  did  not  strike  entirely  through  the  heart  of  it,  by  forming  a  chem- 
ical combination  with  its  albuminous  principle  to  the  depth  of  an  inch,  it 
would  necessarily  retard  for  a  long  time  the  action  of  the  dry  rot.  This 
will  readily  be  admitted,  when  it  is  considered  that  the  mere  charring  a  stick 
will  make  it  last  much  longer. 

The  following  extract  is  taken  from  a  letter  of  Colonel  Harding,  of  the 
royal  engineers,  to  Colonel  Sir  John  May,  K.  C.  B.,  of  the  royal  carriage 
department : 

"  Placed  in  contact  with,  and  under  the  flooring  of,  the  old  Cadet  Hall, 
which  is  much  affected  by  dry  rot,  prepared  v/ith  Kyan's  patent — 
1  piece  of  oak  of  24  inches,  3  by  3, 
1  piece  of  ash  of  24  inches,  3  by  3, 
1  piece  of  elm  of  24  inches,  3  by  3, 
3  pieces  of  memel  fir  of  23  inches,  4  by  2, 

3  pieces  American  fir  of  23  inches,  4  by  2, 
1  piece  white  rope  of  5  inches, 

1  piece  white  rope  of  2J  inches, 
1  piece  white  rope  ofl^  inches, 
1  piece  tent  line  or  cord, 

4  pieces  canvass, 

with  duplicates  of  exactly  similar  materials  unprepared. 

"  We  found  all  the  cordage  and  canvass  that  were  unprepared  had  be- 
come more  or  less  rotten,  except  a  piece  of  canvass ;  but  no  material  altera- 
tion in  the  wood,  except  in  one  piece  of  memel  and  one  of  American  un- 
2 


[428  J 


IS 


prepared,  which,  with  its  fellow  piece,  prepared,  was  taken  up,  as  it  ap- 
peared they  had  both  become  injured  by  the  dry  rot."  The  others  were 
left  under  the  floor.  When  examined,  they  had  been  in  this  position 
eighteen  months. 

"  We  then  had  the  following  pulled  up  out  of  the  ground,  into  which  they 
had  been  driven  15  inches,  and  the  tops  exposed  to  the  south  sun  and  to 
the  drip,  (fee,  under  the  eaves  of  a  building,  prepared  with  Kyan's  patent : 

1  piece  of  oak,  24  inches,  3  by  3, 

I  piece  of  ash,  24  inches,  3  by  3, 

I  piece  of  elm,  24  inches,  3  by  3, 

1  piece  memel  fir,  23  inches,  4  by  2, 

1  piece  American  fir,  23  inches,  4  by  2, 
and  exactly  similar  pieces  of  the  same  unprepared. 

"This  trial  appeared  to  have  had  more  effect  on  the  wood  than  the  pre- 
ceding one  at  the  Cadet  Hall the  unprepared  elm  being  very  defective, 
while  the  prepared  remained  perfectly  sound. 

At  the  expiration  of  three  years  from  the  time  they  were  first  put  down, 
another  examination  was  made  by  Colonel  Harding.  He  stales,  on  the 
wood  placed  under  the  flooring  of  Cadet  Hall  no  material  effect  was  pro- 
duced, but  the  cordage  and  canvass  unprepared  had  become  rotten,  while 
that  prepared  still  remained  sound.  As  for  the  others,  driven  into  the 
ground  under  the  eaves  of  the  building,  with  their  tops  exposed  to  the  sun, 
the  prepared  were  in  a  perfectly  sound  state,  but,  of  that  unprepared,  a  por- 
tion was  much  decayed,  and  all  more  or  less  aflfected. 

In  the  article  from  which  these  facts  are  taken  it  is  also  mentioned,  that 
a  vessel,  the  timber  of  which  was  prepared  with  Kyan's  patent,  returned 
home,  after  a  twenty-nine-month  voyage,  as  sound  as  she  was  the  day  she 
started.  The  crew  enjoyed  good  health  during  the  whole  time,  and  the 
bilge-water  did  not  seem  affected  by  the  corrosive  sublimate. 

A  bolt,  much  corroded,  was  examined  to  ascertain  whether  it  had  been 
injured  by  the  mercury,  but  Professor  Faraday  could  not  discover  the 
presence  of  any. 

Trials  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Kyd,  of  Calcutta,  to  find  out  whether  the 
preparation  of  timber,  after  Kyan's  method,  would  not  prevent  it  from  being 
attacked  by  the  white  ant,  so  destructive  to  timber  between  the  tropics,  and 
he  seems  to  be  of  the  opinion  that  it  will. 

That  the  Kyanizing  of  timber  used  in  the  construction  of  works,  alter- 
nately exposed  to  the  action  of  the  sun  and  fresh  water,  might  be  introduced 
with  much  advantage  to  them,  can  scarcely  admit  of  doubt ;  but  whether 
it  would  prove  beneficial  for  those  in  salt  water  is  not  quite  certain,  though 
the  case  of  the  vessel  before  mentioned  is  somewhat  in  its  favor. 

The  anti-dry  rot  company  of  London,  Kyanize  timber  at  the  rate  of  20 
shillings  sterling  for  every  50  cubic  feet;  but,  though  the  cost  of  corrosive 
sublimate  is  greater  in  this  country  than  in  Great  Britain,  I  am  satisfied 
that  timber  can  be  prepared  at  a  cheaper  rate. 

1  have  the  honor  to  be,  very  respectfully,  your  obedient  servant, 

WILLIAM  D.  ERASER, 

Captain  Engineers. 

Col.  J.  G.  TOTTEN, 

Chief  Engineer^  Washington, 


19 


[  428  ] 


Engineer  Office,  Fort  Ontario, 

Oswego,  N.  Y.,  March  29,  1840. 

Sir:  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  the  receipt  of  your  communica- 
tion of  the  24th  instant,  enclosing  a  copy  of  a  resolution  of  the  Senate, 
dated  March  20,  and  asking  for  such  information  as  I  may  possess  on  the 
subject  of  Kyanizing  timber,  and  particularly  with  reference  to  its  cost. 

The  Kyanizing  process  was  commenced  here  about  the  first  of  October  last, 
and,  consequently,  no  opinion  as  to  the  efficacy  of  the  preparation,  in  pro- 
tecting timber  from  dry  rot  and  the  worm,  can  yet  be  formed.  The  opera- 
tion has  been  conducted  under  the  disadvantages  incident  to  every  untried 
experiment,  and  has  not  been  sufficiently  extended  in  time  to  give,  with 
accuracy,  the  data  from  which  to  determine  the  expense. 

One  tank  only  has  yet  been  buill,  and  of  the  following  dimensions  :  thir- 
ty feet  long,  sixteen  feet  wide,  and  four  and  a  half  feet  deep.  This  tank 
will  ordinarily  contain  1,535  cubic  feet  of  timber.  The  quantity  of  solu- 
tion required  to  immerse  it,  has  been  4,000  gallons ;  and  at  the  rate  of  one 
pound  of  corrosive  sublimate  to  fifteen  gallons  of  water,  244.4  pounds  cor- 
rosive must  be  dissolved  for  this  purpose.  According  to  Mr.  Kyan,  the 
abovementioned  quantity  of  timber  should  imbibe  38.3  pounds  corrosive 
sublimate  ;  and,  consequently,  on  or  previous  to  the  removal  of  this  timber 
from  the  tank,  and  the  substitution  of  a  fresh  charge,  equal  to  the  first  in 
quantity,  38.3  pounds  corrosive  sublimate  should  be  added  to  the  solution. 
This  being  added  in  the  smallest  quantity  of  water  which  will  dissolve  it, 
seems  amply  sufficient  for  restoring  the  strength  of  the  whole.  The  cost 
of  charging  the  tank  with  1,535  cubic  feet  of  timber,  and  of  removing  and 
placing  it  under  a  timber-shed  when  Kyanized,  has  been,  in  the  case  of 
large  timber  18  x  18  inches,  and  from  20  to  29  feet  long,  $25.  The  price 
of  corrosive  sublimate  in  New  York  is  $i  35  per  pound,  and  fifty  cents  per 
pound  additional  is  paid  for  the  use  of  the  patent.  The  cost  of  transporta- 
tion from  New  York  to  this  place  has  been,  during  the  last  season,  90  cents 
per  hundred. 

With  these  data,  and  excluding  the  cost  of  the  tank,  cistern,  and  crane, 
for  moving  the  large  timber,  the  Kyanizing  costs  at  the  rate  of  6  cents  2-^^^ 
mills  per  cubic  foot. 

The  tank,  with  its  cistern,  cost  $495  84,  and  the  crane  $79  30.  The 
cost  of  the  tank  was  considerable  greater  than  would  now  be  necessary.  It 
is  proposed  to  construct  an  additional  one,  somewhat  larger  than  the  first, 
and  as  the  crane  and  cistern  already  built  will  serve  both  tanks,  it  is  ex- 
pected that  the  one  proposed  can  be  built  for  about  $300.  The  quantity  of 
timber  required  in  the  rebuilding  of  the  fort,  is  estimated  at  91,812  cubic 
feet. 

Charging  the  cost  of  the  two  tanks,  one  cistern,  and  one  crane,  in  the  ex- 
pense of  Kyanizing  the  abovementioned  quantity  of  timber,  it  will  increase 
by  9  j\  mills  the  cost  of  Kyanizing  a  cubic  foot ;  so  that  the  expense  of  Ky- 
anizing, including  the  necessary  machinery,  and  supposing  this  machinery 
to  be  of  no  value  afterward,  will  not,  in  this  case,  exceed  7  cents  and  2 
mills  per  cubic  foot.  This,  it  will  be  observed,  is  about  equal  to  the  first 
cost  of  sawed  timber  at  this  place. 

Sheds,  in  proportion  to  the  quantity  of  Kyanized  timber  on  hand  at  any 
one  time,  are  necessary  to  protect  it  from  the  weather  until  dried.  But,  as 
this  protection  costs  but  little  more  than  the  materials  for  its  construction, 
and  these  can  afterward  be  appropriated  to  other  use,  this  item  will  not 


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appreciably  increase  the  expense.  Some  of  the  sokition  must  remain  on 
hand  at  the  close  of  operations,  but  it  is  presumed  that  this,  as  well  as  the 
tanks,  <fcc.,  might  be  disposed  of  to  private  individuals. 

1  have  observed,  during  the  autumn  and  winter,  that  the  solution  freezes 
with  nearly  the  same  facility  as  water  ;  that  the  ice  thus  formed  contains 
little  on  none  of  the  corrosive  sublimate,  while  the  strength  of  the  unfrozen 
liquid  is  proportionably  increased.  The  details  of  the  process,  and  the  time 
during  which  the  timber  is  immersed,  are  in  conformity  with  the  "  direc- 
tions" published  by  Mr.  Kyan's  agents,  a  copy  of  which  I  presume  is  in 
your  possession. 

Respectfully  submitted  by,  sir,  your  obedient  servant, 

D.  LEADBETTER, 
Lieutenant  Engineers, 

[_  Colonel  Joseph  G.  Totten, 

Chief  Engineer f  Washington, 


